Having grown up in California, I had no idea what the magic that is Great Wolf Lodge was. And now that we've been, it's all my 3-year-old and 5-year-old can talk about. In case you're like me and had no clue what it was, it's a chain of hotels that all have a massive indoor water park where you can easily spend all day—but that's not all. We were floored by the sheer quantity of things for you to do there without ever having to step foot outside the hotel—which is a huge draw when traveling with young ones—leading us to quickly dub it as "Vegas for kids."
Here are just six reasons why:
There's no sense of time or day.
Unless you choose to leave the resort (but, why?!) you really could wander around the grounds all day from activity to activity without knowing if it's day time or night time outside.
There's no shortage of activities.
Obviously, the giant indoor water park is the main draw for families, but they also have mini golf, mini bowling, an arcade, laser tag, interactive 4D movies, a build-your-own custom stuffed animal shop, and an hours-long MagiQuest game for when you or the kiddos need a break from swimming. There's even a mini "spa" for kids to get manis/pedis alongside their moms and dads. That doesn't even include the scheduled activities from kid yoga to dance parties to crafts and even story time before bed! The best part of all this? Our kids (and us!) konked out like lights at the end of the day.
They go all out for the holidays.
Vegas loves a good theme and so does Great Wolf Lodge. If you visit in October, they'll have a haunted house set up with an interactive game guests can play during their stay. When we went in September, there was a special event to celebrate the Autumn Harvest. And word on the street is come Christmas time, snow falls in the lobby!
There's magic.
Think David Copperfield meets Harry Potter for the Minecraft crowd. Guests can choose to purchase wands and participate in the MagiQuest game that requires you to run all around the hotel looking for certain items and do cool things like turn on crystals, open treasure boxes and the like.
B-U-F-F-E-T
One of the main dining options is the Loose Moose Family Kitchen where families can choose to eat an all-you-can-eat breakfast or dinner. The dinner options were varied and delicious leaving me to enjoy my prime rib while the little ones got to have all the mac n cheese and desserts they desired!
The rooms are spacious.
So while not quite a massive suite at The Venetian, the rooms at Great Wolf Lodge were clearly designed with families in mind. Even the standard room was large enough to easily accommodate our family of four and I can just imagine the kids freaking out if they stayed in one of the WolfDen suites that features a bunk bed tucked away surrounded by walls (score for the parents!) and some interactive features inside that they can use their MagicQuest wands on.
* Our stay was provided by Great Wolf Lodge but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
